Peterson disputes contract demands
Adrian Peterson took to Twitter to dispute reports that he’s demanding at least an $8 million salary in the first year to play for a team this season.
Peterson, who turned 32 this week, was slated to make $18 million for the Vikings before they replaced him with Latavius Murray. Since then, during the height of free agency, Peterson’s recruitment has been mostly silent.
The reason, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, is that Peterson has an asking price of $8 million — a seemingly ridiculous expectation for an aging back coming off a year in which he was mostly sidelined by a knee injury.
Peterson, who won the league rushing title in 2015, shot down that report in a lengthy social media reaction.
Eddie Lacy signed with the Seahawks for $5.5 million. Murray’s three-year contract is for $15 million.
The consensus all along has been that it would come down to money for Peterson. Of course he says it is more to it than that, but from a general manager’s perspective, that’s what it is all about.
“It’s not a very good market for him,” said NFL Network analyst Charley Casserly, the former Redskins general manager, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “I think he’ll have to take a significant pay cut. That much is obvious. If he can pass a physical, somebody will offer him a job. But it will be for a heck of a lot less money than he’s used to.” . . .
The Bengals have released eight-year veteran linebacker Rey Maualuga, saying they were moving to a younger group at the position.
The move comes five days after Cincinnati signed free agent linebacker Kevin Minter to a one-year deal, an indication they were going in a different direction.
Federer opens with win in Miami
Roger Federer won his opening match at the Miami Open, returning to the tournament after a two-year absence and beating 19-year-old American qualifier
Frances Tiafoe 7-6 (2), 6-3. Federer took the lead with a flawless tiebreaker after both players held easily throughout the first set, and Tiafoe then became more inconsistent with his groundstrokes.
The resurgent Federer won at Key Biscayne in 2005 and 2006, and is among the favorites this year. He is 14-1 in 2017, including his 18th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open and a title at Indian Wells last week.
Stan Wawrinka, seeded No. 1 in an ATP Masters 1000 tournament for the first time, easily won his opening match against Horacio Zeballos, 6-3, 6-4. Wawrinka lost only 13 points in his 10 service games.
Ross, Cochran-Siegle rule slopes in Maine
Laurenne Ross and Ryan Cochran-Siegle won super G titles in the U.S. Alpine Championships at Sugarloaf Mountain in Carrabassett Valley, Maine.
Ross is a 2014 Olympian who also won the 2013 U.S. Championship in the super G. She was timed in 1:21.44. Cochran-Siegle finished in 1:19.66 for his first national title. Local favorite Sam Morse finished fourth. He was fifth in the super G and first in the downhill at this month’s junior world championships.